Iron County register., 1887-04-28
AMERICAN TREES.


That OF Various Foreign Species.
/ In selecting trees for home-planting
our skilled arboriculturists are not al
| together actuated by prejudice, when
| we investigate the comparative useful
ness of American species with those in-
| troduced from other countries. There
is greater liability to disease in foreign
| trees, as a rule, than in those found
wild in our native forests, and in q
long succession of years the latter will
, in most instances prove the more relia-
BILE. In eyergreens this fact becomes
especially glaring as soon as we insti-
tute comparison between almost any
two closely-allied species. The white
pine will live to a vigorous old age,
and be comparatively picturesque and
beautiful long after its counterpart
the Bhotan pine, has passed away.
The white spruce of the Northern
States will continue to be an orna-
ment when the much vaunted Norw ay
spruce of Europe has become open and
struggling. In the more Northern and
, Eastern States this is very noticeable.
Indeed some of our authorities are
even now discouraging its use for ex-
tensive planting. The American arbor
vitae. and its variety misnamed
Siberian, are unexceptionable. and yet
the Chinese species, even if not killed
outright during cold spell. will soon
become open and dilapidated. The
common juniper and red cedar (Which
is also juniper) are far more valua-
BILE for series of years than any of
the foreign representatives of the fam
lily. Unless we except the compara-
lively new cuspidate yew from Japan.
there is not a single number of the
genus Taxus SO valuable for orna-
mental planting here as our own
American variety, Notwithstanding the
long list of forms to be
found in nurserymen's cata-
logues. Again referring to the
pines, our beautiful yet neglected red
pine, or as it is sometimes incorrectly
called Norway pine, is worth more for
ornamental planting than all the Aus
trian, Scotch and Laricio pines that
have been introduced. Passing to the
deciduous trees, we find, in COMPARE
son of old specimens, that the su gar
and red naples are superior to the Nor
way and sycamore species from :
rope, even if the latter are more.
tractive in their younger years. 1t 10
well-known that the European linden
is quite subject to disease with us. and
its lease of life is short in our climate,
yet the American linden appears to in
crease in attractiveness as the years
roll by.
The English oak although apparent
1y hardy here often kills during win
ter. A specimen near Philadelphia,
after having survived for thirty years.
was destroyed at last, root and top, by
a single cold spell. On the contrary,
our native species are all that can be
desired. Compare the relative value
of the American species of
elm with those of Europe, and
we can have no better ap-
plication of our theory, as the latter, if
they survive our winters uninjured by
the weather, soon succumb to disease
and die. Respecting the species of
horsechestnuts, although the we'll
known and beautiful English tree is
entirely hardy here, yet in the vicinity
of Philadelphia and southwark, the
foliage becomes covered with insight
ly blotches by midsummer, and falls
prematurely. In consequence most
planters are giving it up. This dis
ease, however, does not affect our ma
tive species, and they are rapid grow
ers and may be depended on. The
same comparison may also be institut-
ed between closely allied species in
other genera, but perhaps enough ex-
amples have been given. It might
not, however, be out of place to men,
ton the superiority of the American
white ash over the English; the Amer
lean mountain ash over the European;
the American walnut over the English;
the native poplars over the foreign;
our common wild cherry over the
black cherry of Europe in point of reli-
ability; and lastly the pre-eminence of
our native birches over the common
white species and its graceful cut-leaf
form of Europe. There is an occa-
sional exception to this, as to most
rules, as, for instance, the superior
claims of the English beech over our
own for ornamental purposes; the
preference given to the European larch
over the American; and the decided
superiority of Nordmann's fir over our
own miserable balsam. It is singu-
lar fact that in almost all genera of
trees, where there are closely allied
species, both in this country and
abroad, the foreigners as a rule are
more compact in growth, with larger
foliage and fruit than the American.
This is exemplifed in the Norway and
silver naples; English and American
beeches; English and American ashes;
British and American oaks; English
and American elms, etc. Our people
are too much given to admire trees
from abroad, while all around them
are as beautiful and available speci-
mems as the world ever saw, needing
only pure taste to arrange them prop
erly.-Cor. ~ Y. Tribune.
TRADE WITH JAPAN.